Smoking cylinder with cleanout

ABSTRACT

The present invention presents a smoking cylinder which includes a lighter chamber having a top opening which communicates with an interior surface for accommodating a cigarette lighter. A cigarette chamber is connected, typically with a spacer, to the lighter chamber. The cigarette chamber includes an interior surface for storing a single cigarette. A top cap which mates with a top surface of the cigarette chamber allows for insertion and removal of a cigarette. A bottom cleanout cap which mates with a bottom surface of the cigarette chamber allows for easy cleaning of the cigarette chamber.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of cigarette smoking and, more particularly, to the field of keeping single smoke available for quick and repeated uses.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In days gone by, smokers typically carried a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, or matches, and lit and smoked a cigarette whenever and wherever desired. The smoker simply smoked the cigarette for as many puffs as he desired and simply discarded the remainder into an ash tray or on the ground when finished.

However, as the price of cigarettes has soared and smoking has become banned in public places it has become more customary to smoke a single cigarette for a few puffs, extinguish the cigarette and re-smoke the same cigarette later. One problem with re-use of a single cigarette is that it is difficult to find a place to store a half used cigarette.

If the half-used cigarette is re-inserted into the original pack the ashes from the half-used cigarette become messy and end up on the lip ends of unlit cigarettes. When the smoker inserts the lip ends of the unlit cigarettes into his mouth, he inevitably gets an unwanted ash taste and ash particles in his mouth.

Another problem with re-insertion into the original pack is that the ashes from the half used cigarette become dislodged into the smoker's clothes creating stains and smelly clothes.

There have been some attempts to present a smoking cylinder so that a single half-used cigarette can be inserted into a cigarette chamber for further use. The chamber is opened from a single end. The half-used cigarette is inserted and the chamber is closed so that the half-used cigarette may be smoked again at a later date.

One problem with this type of chamber is that it is difficult to clean. If it is rinsed with water, air pockets form in the bottom which prevents water from rinsing the entire chamber. Therefore, ash forms and solidifies in difficult to reach spots within the cigarette chamber.

Ash buildup is a haven for bacteria and also presents a horrendous odor. Since half-used cigarettes contain an amount of moist saliva when inserted into the cigarette chamber, the saliva presents a moist environment within the chamber. Since the bacteria will grow more efficiently in a moist environment, the re-used cigarette contains bacterial which can make the smoker ill.

Furthermore, cigarette, whether full or partially smoked, often become lodged within the chamber. At that point, the smoker must open access to the chamber and knock the device against a hard surface to dislodge the cigarette. This can result in damage to furniture or to the person.

Since most public places now have smoking restrictions, smokers often have to quickly extinguish their cigarettes prior to entry or re-entry into the public place. Often times the smokers have nowhere to place the extinguished cigarette and simply litter the same on the ground.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

It is an object to improve the art of cigarette smoking.

It is another object of the present invention to make the re-use of a single cigarette more desirable.

It is a further object of the present invention to make the art of smoking more economical.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to make intermittent smoking of a single cigarette more sanitary.

It is still a further object of the present invention to keep a smokers clothes from becoming stained or odorous when re-using a single cigarette.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a clean cigarette chamber that securely stores a cigarette, whether used or unused, and is easily cleaned by simply rinsing with water or by the use of a pipe cleaner.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a cigarette chamber that has both a top cap and a bottom cap so that the cigarette chamber may be accessed from either end.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a smoking cylinder that has a lighter chamber and cigarette chamber, wherein the cigarette chamber includes both a top opening and a bottom cleanout opening.

These and other objects and features are presented in accordance with the present invention in which there is provided a smoking cylinder which includes a lighter chamber having a top opening which communicates with an interior surface for accommodating a cigarette lighter. A cigarette chamber is connected, typically with a spacer, to the lighter chamber. The cigarette chamber includes an interior surface for storing a single cigarette. A top cap which mates with a top surface of the cigarette chamber allows for insertion and removal of a cigarette. A bottom cleanout cap which mates with a bottom surface of the cigarette chamber allows for easy cleaning of the cigarette chamber.

Preferably the top cap and bottom cleanout caps are connected via hinges so that they do not become lost over repeated uses of the smoking cylinder.

The lighter chamber includes a beveled upper interior surface to make installation of the lighter more convenient. The remaining interior surface of the lighter chamber is preferably designed to present a friction fit to an exterior surface of a fluid chamber of the lighter.

In an alternative embodiment, more than one cigarette chambers may be presented so that more than one cigarette may be accommodated by the smokers cylinder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the smoking cylinder in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the smoking cylinder of FIG. 1 depicting a bottom cleanout cap in the opened position;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the smoking cylinder of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the smoking cylinder of FIG. 1 depicting the bottom cleanout cap in the opened position;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of the smoking cylinder of the present invention having multiple cigarette chambers; and

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the smoking cylinder of FIG. 1 having a lighter disposed in a lighter compartment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention depicted in FIG. 1 comprises a smoking cylinder 10 having a cigarette chamber 12 and a lighter chamber 14. The cigarette chamber 12 and lighter chamber 14 are integrated through a spacer 13 to provide separate chambers for a lighter and a cigarette. Although the term cylinder often times refers to cylindrical shaped, the chambers described herein may take on other shapes such as rectilinear and may have a variety of sized to accommodate different sized smokes.

The cigarette chamber 12 is a single chamber having a top opening 18 and a bottom cleanout opening 20. In another embodiment depicted in FIG. 5, there may exist a plurality of cigarette chambers 12, each having its own respective top opening 18 and cleanout opening 20.

A top cap 19 closes the top opening 18 by mating with a top opening surface 23. The top cap 19 is connected to the cigarette chamber 12 via a hinge 22, depicted in FIG. 3. Likewise, a cleanout cap 21 closes the cleanout opening 20 by mating with a cleanout opening surface 25, depicted in FIG. 4. Preferably, the top cap 19 and cleanout cap 21 are connected to an exterior surface 27, which is depicted in FIG. 2, of the cigarette chamber 12 so that they do not become lost or misplaced over repeated uses.

The cigarette chamber 12 is preferably sized to accommodate a single cigarette or other type of smoke including a cigarillo or other small cigars. When the cleanout cap 20 and top cap 19 are closed an airtight, watertight cigarette chamber 12 is presented.

Having a an airtight chamber allows a lit smoke to become quickly extinguished due to a lack of oxygen. A watertight chamber prevents a smoke from becoming damp when the cylinder 10 communicates with a damp or wet environment, such as during rain or even if the cylinder 10 interfaces with a lake or swimming pool, such as during swimming.

The airtight chamber further prevents noxious odors from escaping such as when the lit smoke is inserted into the chamber for extinguishment and later smoking. As such, the smokers clothes do not become drenched in an undesirable smokey odor.

The lighter chamber 14 is sized and shaped to accommodate various sizes and shapes of lighters. However, in a preferred embodiment, the lighter chamber 14 has a size and shape to accommodate a single predetermined lighter 30, depicted in FIG. 6. For example, the lighter chamber 14 may be sized and shaped to substantially conform to a fluid housing 32 of a BIC® cigarette lighter.

The fluid housing 32 is usually uniformly shaped along its longitudinal axis 34. The fluid housing 32 terminates at an upper end 33 with an upper flame housing 36. Typically, the fluid housing 32 is plastic for disposable lighters while the upper flame housing 36 is metal so that it does not melt from the flame heat.

A striker wheel 38 which is housed within the upper flame housing 36 urges against a flint (not depicted) to produce sparks which ignite the fluid from the fluid housing 32 to produce a flame, which is all known in the art.

Turning back to FIG. 1, the lighter chamber 14 includes an interior surface 33 that is so sized and shaped to present a friction fit to the inserted lighter 30. A top surface 19 of the lighter chamber 14 presents a downwardly disposed beveled annular surface 15 which terminates at the interior surface 33 so that the lighter 30 may be easily inserted into the lighter chamber 14.

When the lighter 30 is inserted into the lighter chamber 14 it is desirable that the upper flame housing 36 protrude from the top surface 17 of the lighter chamber 14, while the fluid housing 32 be frictionally fit within the lighter chamber 14. As such the lighter 30 remains in place within the lighter chamber 14 as the smokers cylinder 10 is moved from place to place, such as from a clothing pocket to a dresser top or other places.

To remove the lighter 30 from the lighter chamber 14 after it is spent, one simply squeezes his fingers against the outer surface of the upper flame housing 36 and pulls the lighter 30 from the lighter chamber 14. Then a new lighter is inserted into the lighter chamber 14.

If the smoker finds it cumbersome to light the lighter 30 while the lighter 30 is in the lighter chamber 14, then the smoker simply removes and re-installs the lighter 30 for each use.

Turning again to FIG. 4, the bottom cleanout cap 21 allows the smoker to clean the cigarette chamber 12 thoroughly so that ash does not build up at bottom edges 40 of the cigarette chamber 12. The smoker simply opens both the top cap 19 and the cleanout cap 21 and rinses the cigarette chamber 12 with warm water and a suction is formed between the top opening 18 and the cleanout opening 20 such that all accumulated debris or ash is completely washed from the cigarette chamber 12. After washing, the caps 19 and 21 are kept open to form an air tunnel within the cigarette chamber 12. The air passing through the tunnel quickly dries the cigarette chamber.

Even if a brush is used to clean the cigarette chamber 12, brushes sometimes do not reach the bottom edges 40 of the cigarette chamber 12. Therefore, with the bottom cleanout opening 20, the smoker simply turns the cigarette chamber 12 upside down and opens the cleanout cap 21 to expose the bottom edge 40 of the cigarette chamber 12 to make cleaning more efficient.

Another feature of the cleanout cap 21 is that a lodged cigarette can be easily dislodged by simply pressing the cigarette back through the top cap 19 by inserting a device such as a pipe cleaner or a pencil (not shown) through the cleanout cap 21 and against the lodged cigarette.

The smoking cylinder 10 is preferably one piece injection molded from a durable plastic material or any other suitable material. The smoking cylinder 10 may be of any color and may include various designs or advertisements for aesthetic purposes.

Various changes and modifications, other than those described above in the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments and exemplifications, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention thereby, but solely by the claims appended hereto. 

1. A smoking cylinder comprising: a lighter chamber having an opening communicating with an interior surface for accommodating a portion of a cigarette lighter; and a cigarette chamber integrated with said lighter chamber which includes an interior surface for storing a single cigarette.
 2. The smoking cylinder of claim 1, wherein said cigarette chamber further includes a top cap which mates with a top surface of said cigarette chamber.
 3. The smoking cylinder of claim 2, further including and a cleanout cap which mates with a bottom surface of said cigarette chamber.
 4. The smoking cylinder of claim 1, further including a spacer which separates said lighter chamber from said cigarette chamber.
 5. The smoking cylinder of claim 2, further including a hinge which interconnects said top cap to an exterior surface of said smoking cylinder.
 6. The smoking cylinder of claim 3, further including a hinge which interconnects said cleanout cap to an exterior surface of said smoking cylinder.
 7. The smoking cylinder of claim 1, wherein said interior surface of said lighter chamber further includes a beveled portion adjacently extending from a top surface of said lighter chamber.
 8. The smoking cylinder of claim 1, wherein said interior surface of said lighter chamber is sized and shaped to provide a friction fit to at least a portion of lighter fluid housing of a cigarette lighter.
 9. The smoking cylinder of claim 1, further including a second cigarette chamber.
 10. The smoking cylinder of claim 9, wherein said second cigarette chamber includes a top cap and a cleanout cap.
 11. The smoking cylinder of claim 1, further including and a cleanout cap which mates with a bottom surface of said cigarette chamber. 